The International Air Transport Association (IATA) together with the Global Shippers Forum (GSF), the International Federation of Freight Forwarders Associations (FIATA) and the International Air Cargo Association (TIACA), are amplifying their efforts to ensure the safe air transport of lithium batteries as the number of incidents involving misdeclared or undeclared lithium batteries keeps rising.

The industry organizations are renewing calls for governments to crack down on manufacturers of counterfeit batteries and of mis-labelled and non-compliant shipments introduced into the supply chain, and by issuing and enforcing criminal sanctions on those responsible.

In a statement, IATA said consumer demand for lithium batteries is growing by 17% annually but with it is also the rising number of incidents involving mislabeled lithium batteries entering cargo shipments.

“Dangerous goods, including lithium batteries, are safe to transport if managed according to international regulations and standards. But we are seeing an increase in the number of incidents in which rogue shippers are not complying. The industry is uniting to raise awareness of the need to comply. This includes the launching of an incident reporting tool so that information on rogue shippers is shared. And we are asking governments to get much tougher with fines and penalties,” said Nick Careen, IATA’s senior vice president, airport, passenger, cargo and security.

Specifically, the campaign involves three initiatives:

• New incident reporting and alert system for airlines with the launch of an industry information-sharing platform targeting misdeclared consignments of lithium batteries. .
  
  
• Industry awareness campaign on the dangers of shipping undeclared and misdeclared lithium batteries across the world targeting countries and regions where compliance has been challenging. 
  
  
• Joint industry approach as the organizations announced its support behind an initiative presented by the United Kingdom, New Zealand, France and the Netherlands at the recent Assembly of the UN’s International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO) which calls for adoption of a cross-domain approach to include aviation security, manufacturing standards, customs and consumer protection agencies.
   

IATA noted that currently, air cargo is scanned for items that pose a risk to security such as explosives, but not safety such as lithium batteries.

The four trade associations pressed on governments stricter enforcement of international regulations to ensure the safe transport of these vital shipments and for regulators to follow through with significant fines and penalties for those who circumvent regulations for the transport of lithium batteries. 

“Safety is aviation’s top priority. Airlines, shippers and manufacturers have worked hard to establish rules that ensure lithium batteries can be carried safely. But the rules are only effective if they are enforced and backed-up by significant penalties. Government authorities must step up and take responsibility for stopping rogue producers and exporters. Abuses of dangerous goods shipping regulations, which place aircraft and passenger safety at risk, must be criminalized,” said Glyn Hughes, IATA’s Global Head of Cargo.

“We have seen high interest from the regulators on the issue of lithium batteries not that long ago, and it did help to improve the situation. We are asking governments to put this problem again on the top of their agendas,” said Vladimir Zubkov, Secretary General, The International Air Cargo Association (TIACA). 

James Hookham, secretary-general, The Global Shippers Forum (GSF) said air freight remains a vital link in international supply chains and it is essential that the rules for ensuring the safe movement of all cargoes are understood and acted on by all parties involved - including the government.

“The increasing use of lithium batteries coupled with the growth of e-commerce supply and demand is exposing the air cargo supply chain to greater risk of un-declared or mis-declared goods.  We support regulators imposing strict adherence to established compliance standards,” said Keshav Tanner, Chairman of FIATA’s Airfreight Institute.